An Invitation

Call for Book Manuscripts


Blue Begonia Press, independent publisher of poetry for thirty years, is accepting submissions of full-length manuscripts for publication in 2008 from poets residing in Washington State who have never published a full-length poetry book. (Chapbooks OK). We’re looking for well-crafted work that transcends the page, that moves us, that takes our breath away—poems of meditation, testimony, praise, exploration, protest, reflection, witness. Collaborative design process. Poet receives publication, 30 copies, regional distribution/promotion of book, and assistance scheduling/advertising featured readings. Deadline March 31, 2008. Send manuscript with cover sheet, title page, paginated table of contents, acknowledgments, #10 SASE for results, and $20 reading fee in form of check made out to Blue Begonia Press. Reading fee includes one copy of the book selected for publication. For complete submission guidelines and more information about Blue Begonia Press visit www.bluebegoniapress.com


Submission Guidelines:

Washington residents only.

Simultaneous submissions OK. (Please notify us immediately if manuscript is accepted elsewhere).

Individual poems may have been previously published. (If so, identify in Acknowledgments).

Cover sheet - one loose page with the following information: title of manuscript, author name, address, home and work telephone numbers, e-mail address.

Bound manuscript, including Title Page, paginated Table of Contents, and Acknowledgments.

$20 reading fee. Checks made out to Blue Begonia Press. All entrants will receive one copy of the book selected for publication.

Include #10 self-addressed, stamped envelope for notification of results.

Mail to:
Blue Begonia Press: Poetry Manuscripts
225 S. 15th Avenue
Yakima, WA 98902

Questions? Contact: Terry Martin at martint@cwu.edu

Upcoming Readings for Jenifer Browne Lawrence

October 20, 5:00 pm
Fish (Poems) on the Sidewalk
Marine Science Center Fundraiser
Liberty Bay Books
18881 D Front St Downtown Poulsbo
http://www.libertybaybooks.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp
jeniferbrownelawrence@comcast.net


October 23, 7:00 p.m.
Crab Creek Review
Reading with Janet Knox, John Davis, Kevin Miller, Jenifer Browne Lawrence & others
Richard Hugo House
1634 Eleventh Avenue
Seattle, WA
http://www.hugohouse.org/house/map/
editors@crabcreekreview.org


November 7, 7:30p.m.
Poetry in Motion!
Poetry on the Buses
Moore Theater
1932 Second Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98107
Paige.Weinheimer@4culture.org
www.4culture.org
TEL 206 296.8605

November 11, 2:00 p.m.
Na-No-Rhyme-Oh! Poetry Reading
Madeline DeFrees, Jennifer Maier & Jenifer Browne Lawrence
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
401 NE Northgate Way Suite 1100
Seattle, WA. 98125
crm2280@bn.com
http://www.bn.com/


November 18, 3:00 p.m.
Jewel Box Poets Sunday Reading Series
Windfall Journal Poets
Bill Siverly, Michael McDowell, Mary Lou Sanelli, Jenifer Browne Lawrence & others
Jewel Box Theater
225 Iverson Street
Poulsbo, WA 98370
http://www.jewelboxpoulsbo.org/
jewelboxpoets@comcast.net

Saturday Oct 13th at Inklings

 

Blue Begonia Press

www.bluebegoniapress.com

 

Introduces Jody Aliesan's new book

 

True North/Nord Vrai

 

 

 

"Old Irish fragment: The poet is the wick in the lamp of the community. Not the oil, and not the flame, but the simple piece of cloth connecting them so the people can see their own light."

 

Reading & discussion from True North/Nord Vrai

Gail Pearlman & Jim Bodeen

Inklings Bookshop

Chalet Mall

56^th & Summitview

 

Saturday, October 13, 2007, 4:00 PM

True North/Nord Vrai

B l u e B e g o n i a P r e s s , I n c .

Jody Aliesan's True North/Nord Vrai has just been released from Blue Begonia Press.

Jody's story, and the story of the book are compelling in many of the ways that the book is compelling.

Blue Begonia Press stretches out believing in the larger story Jody carries. Here's part of the story.

Jody Aliesan left the US three years ago. We expect that her longtime readers in the Pacific Northwest and farther afield will be interested in knowing what she's doing now, both personally and in her writing. A library service in New York ordered copies of True North/Nord Vrai immediately after we registered it with the Library of Congress. University Book Store in Seattle posted the book online two months ago and is collecting orders. Last week we received a request from a professor of political science in Tennessee who heard of the book word of mouth. Canadians have become aware of Aliesan's presence in their midst; without our approaching them, the Vancouver public library and the city's independent and chain bookstores already offer her most recent books. Aliesan has said she will not be crossing the border south again and that True North/Nord Vrai is such an exposure that personal appearances would be excessive. We will market her reticence and principle to pique curiosity and to focus readers on the book itself.

It can be ordered directly from the press, at http://bluebegoniapress.com/

Jim Bodeen, President

(509) 452-9748

bodeen22@charter.net

Jody Aliesan: True North/Nord Vrai

186pp, 7"x 9" trade softcover

ISBN: 0-911287-58-2

$18.00 USD

Excerpts at http://bluebegoniapress.com/index.php?page_id=316

LitFuse Scholarships

LitFuse 2007: A Poet's Workshop

www.mightytieton.com

Tieton Arts & Humanities announces LitFuse 2007:  A Poet's Workshop.  This 2-day workshop to be held November 3-4 in Tieton, WA (15 minutes west of Yakima), features hands-on letterpress printing opportunities, Susan Rich (winner of the PEN/USA Poetry Award and Peace Corps Writers' Award, among others), Kathleen Flenniken (winner of the Prairie Schooner Book award), poetry rooted in place by Dan Peters, a special narrated screening of Voices in Wartime, Cody Walker & Paul Nelson's astonishing teaching, and a murder of your fellow poets itching to channel the MUSE.  All in a hilltop rural setting guaranteed to inspire.  Check it out at www.mightytieton.com to register, or email litfuse@mightytieton.com for more information.

 

Here's my summary:

 

• Mighty Tieton, an arts organization, is an incredible group of people.
  
• I'm teaching (Dan Peters) two workshops at this conference—one on poetry of place, including some outside work around the town of Tieton;  another on poetry and art using the Mighty Tieton collection, which is incredible. 
  
• The headliner, Susan Rich, as you can see from her bio, is a well known and respected poet and teacher.  We're fortunate to have her come to this workshop.
  
• There's an interesting option of learning the art of "letterpress" work—that is publishing using handset type and fine papers.  I think the idea is that you'd come away with a broadside of your own. 
  
• The two day workshop is pricey, ($200 if you register before October) but I think it's worth it.  The people at Mighty Tieton are legit and hoping to make it a place for collaboration among all the arts.  They've got a huge start on the visual arts, and are dipping their toes in the water on the literary arts with this weekend. 
  
• Finally, part of my negotiation with the board of Mighty Tieton was that I be able to offer some scholarships to local writers.  So, I've got four $50 dollar scholarships available.  First come first serve.  I'll set a deadline of September 28^th.
  
  • If I only get two people interested, it will be a $100 dollar scholarship. 
    
  • If only one person is interested, it's a full ride. 
    
  • I realize this varied amount might make a big difference to your level of interest, so for starters, drop me an email if you're interested in any level of help with going to the workshops and after the 28^th, I'll email back those who expressed interest and we'll try to figure out how much you need and how much has been claimed. 
    

 

Featured Artist: Susan Rich, winner of the PEN USA Poetry Award & the Peace Corps Writers Poetry Award for The Cartographer's Tongue: Poems of the World (White Pine Press, 2000). Susan has worked as a staff person for Amnesty International, an electoral supervisor in Bosnia, and a human rights trainer in Gaza. She lived in the Republic of Niger, West Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer, later moving to South Africa to teach at the University of Cape Town on a Fulbright Fellowship. Educated at the University of Massachusetts, Harvard University, and the University of Oregon, Susan lives in Seattle and teaches at Highline Community College and the Antioch University MFA Program in LA. She is an alum of Cottages at Hedgebrook, and an editor at Floating Bridge Press.

 

 

More from Inklings

 

 

 

 

From Miller, Peters and Grimes at Inklings

 

 

 

 

100 Steps Review in the Seattle Times

Here's the link to the review and here's the review by Richard Wakefield:

Jenifer Browne Lawrence ventures into very deep water in "One Hundred Steps From Shore" (Blue Begonia Press, 79 pp., $15). In this Seattle-area poet's fragmented lyrics, the solid bottom is always below her feet, the water threatening to close over her head.

In the title poem, a family waits outside the emergency room where a daughter undergoes treatment after being hit by a car. Three sisters assemble a puzzle, as if putting the pieces together will also put their lives together: "We build the trees from the green down to wheat / and there is nothing left but sky." Then the door swings open, the doctor enters, and they learn that the last pieces will never fit.

In the poems that follow, various family members try to make sense of the world, but the shock waves of their loss are an earthquake that brings everything down. In "Sweeping the Sky," a moment that could bring people together becomes a drama of separation:

I haven't told her Dad's last words,

Where's your mother? Nor how, as though it were

the truth, I told him he would see her in the

morning,

that she'd gone home before it got too dark to see.

He turned his face to keep me from seeing.

In the gloom of Lawrence's poems, there is a compensatory light — the illumination of how real people confront loss.

Richard Wakefield is the author of "East of Early Winters," a poetry collection published by the University of Evansville Press. He lives in Federal Way.

Jenifer Browne Lawrence reading at YVCC

Seeking Light Reading and Lecture

Seeking Light Documentary Part 1

Seeking Light Documentary Partt 2

Michael Daley at YVCC

Jim Bodeen Reading at YVCC

Terry Martin Reading at YVCC

Video/Audio quality isn't great, but for fans who can't get enough, here it is.

Upcoming Readings for Terry Martin and The Secret Language of Women

Aug 25th Hedgebrook "Literary Landscapes" Reading, Whidbey Island

December 13 Northwinds ArtCenter, Pt. Townsend

January ? (TBA) SoulFood Books Poetry Series, Redmond

February 12 CWU Lions Rock Reading Series, Ellensburg

April 18 A Room of One's Own Bookstore, Madison, WI

Upcoming Readings for Jenifer Lawrence and 100 Steps

Saturday March 31, 2007, 7:30 p.m. Elliott Bay Books, 101 South Main St, Seattle. (206) 624-6600.

Saturday, May 19, 2007, 4:00 p.m. Newberry Books, 561 NE Ravenna Blvd., Seattle. PoetsWest features Chris Jarmick, David Keysor, Jenifer Browne Lawrence. Open mike. MC Robinson Bolkum. Contact J. Glenn Evans 206.682.1268 or info@poetswest.com.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007, 7:30 p.m Yakima Valley Community College, Writers and Ideas Series. Parker Room of the Deccio Building. dpeters@yvcc.edu

Saturday, June 2, 2007, 7:00 p.m., Poulsbohemian Coffeehouse, 19003 Front St, Poulsbo, WA (360) 779-9199 email

Saturday, June 9, 2007, 6 p.m. Village Books, 1200 Eleventh Street, Bellingham, WA 98225 Tel: (360) 671-2626

More photos from Hugo House

Thanks to photographer Fran Dunaway!

List of Readings for Terry Martin in the coming months

Hope to see you there!

Pt. Townsend (at Northwinds Gallery) on Thurs Feb 8th at 7:00.

Wapato Book Club on Tuesday, February 13th at 7:00.

Pt. Angeles (at Peninsula College) at noon on Tuesday March 6th.

Spokane (at Auntie's Bookstore) on Friday April 6th at 7:30.

Whidbey Island (at Wa Poets Association Burning Word Poetry Festival)
Saturday, April 28th.

Images from Hugo House

Welcome

Welcome to Blue Begonia News & Calendar.

If you are interested in the Blue Begonia website, with the complete catalogue and ordering information, visit bluebegoniapress.com.

For first time visitors, this site started in 2005. It was a way to get the word out about Weathered Pages, an anthology of poems left on the poetry pole at Blue Begonia Press, and two fine chapbooks released at the same time by Keely Murphy and Doug Johnson, continuing the Working Signs Series from Blue Begonia Press.

In the past year, two more books have been released by the press: One Hundred Steps from Shore, by Poulsbo poet Jenifer Browne Lawrence and The Secret Language of Women by Yakima poet and CWU professor, Terry Martin.

If you scroll down the page, you’ll see recent posts including a schedule of upcoming readings, video previews of the two most recent books along with sample reviews. I’ve also included a few select videos from the Writers and Ideas class I’ve taught at YVCC the past two years. To see the incredible work students have done in response to these reading and lectures, and for more videos, click here.

If you are interested in going back further, or finding information not seen on this first page, use the links under “Archives” on the right side of the screen.

Feel free to leave a comment, or send me an email.

The Secret Language of Women

Terry Martin reads from her new book, "The Secret Language of Women". Terry's book has been getting amazing reviews. Click here to see her first, from Midwest Review. Click here to see the latest, from World Pulse Magazine. For more information or to purchase visit http://bluebegoniapress.com/

One Hundred Steps from Shore

Jenifer Browne Lawrence reading Red Shrine from her debut book from Blue Begonia Press for more information and to order, visit Blue Begonia Press *Correction to the credits: Cover Design by Craig Naugle. Jenifer's book is already a best seller on the west side and has been attracting attention from a national audience. Click here for a review from Rattle.

A Review of Readers from Last Spring at YVCC

Weathered Pages Application for Bumbershoot

Another Great Review for The Secret Language

The Secret Language of Women

Terry Martin | Blue Begonia Press, 2006 | USA

With vast empathy and unwavering emotional honesty, this Washington poet gives words to the weighty, intangible truths behind human behavior. Inhabited almost exclusively by female characters, The Secret Language of Women celebrates the nuanced ways in which women bypass verbal language to communicate emotion, share among themselves, and pass deep pools of knowledge through generations. In the architecture of this volume-in the kitchen, the garden, the bedroom, the hospital, and in nature—they are called by their surroundings to turn inward and courageously speak of strengths, weaknesses, and searing, long-muffled truths—a process that Martin clearly prizes for its delivery unto grace and gratitude.—Maria Jett